'Cop Out'
Kevin Smith reaches his creative low-point with this abysmal ode to '80s buddy cop flicks.
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'Alice in Wonderland'
Tim Burton tosses $150 million down the rabbit hole with this gorgeously rendered -- and utterly disposable -- CGI epic.
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Erin Brockovich
Story
Underqualified, underdressed and increasingly desperate, Erin Brockovich opens the film with her name on it pleading for a skilled job she can sense is not going to be hers.
No, she says, she has no actual medical training, but she does have three kids. She's great with people, and a fast learner, too. And she's always been interested in science, to the point of once being "madly in love with geology." Doesn't all that count for anything?
Not yet it doesn't, but before "Erin Brockovich" is over those qualities will surface as major players in this irresistible, hugely satisfying feminist fairy tale that turns "Norma Rae" into the protagonist of "A Civil Action" and makes us believe it.
Director
Based on the true story of a woman the world didn't take seriously who empowered herself by helping others gain justice, "Erin Brockovich"
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'Valentine's Day'
If you didn’t despise Hallmark’s ersatz holiday before, you certainly will after enduring this Bataan Death March of rom-coms.
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'The Wolfman'
Victorian melodrama and outrageous gore make horrific bedfellows in this ill-conceived homage to the classic monster movies of yore.
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'Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief'
Sorry Mr. Jackson, but Harry Potter you ain't.
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'Dear John'
The latest romantic drama from the author of 'The Notebook' is light on the romance, heavy on the drama.
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'From Paris With Love'
This cheerfully over-the-top spy thriller only falters when Jonathan Rhys Meyers is on the screen. Which, unfortunately, is most of the time.
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'When in Rome'
The director of 'Ghost Rider' and 'Daredevil' tries to make us laugh on purpose for once -- and fails badly.
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'The Tooth Fairy'
Another unspectacular family flick from one-time action star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
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'Legion'
God save us from this half-baked, Biblically-inspired zombie flick.
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'Book of Eli'
Only a miracle worker like Denzel can make this post-apocalyptic flick's odd blend of religious evangelism and over-the-top violence watchable.
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'Armored'
A straightforward, uncomplicated -- and completely uninteresting -- heist flick. |
'The Lovely Bones'
Packed with stunning visuals but marred by storytelling deficiencies, Peter Jackson's manipulative adaptation of Alice Sebold's beloved novel is a deeply unsatisfying affair.
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'Invictus'
Morgan Freeman gives a transcendent performance as Nelson Mandela in this rousing tale about the healing power of sport.
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'Avatar'
James Cameron's long-awaited sci-fi epic is every bit as wondrous and imaginative as promised. Prepare to be amazed.
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'Did You Hear About the Morgans?'
Did you hear about the worst rom-com of 2009? It's this one!
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'Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel'
The perfect entertainment for those who find 'Teletubbies' and 'Dora the Explorer' to be a little too highbrow. |
'Sherlock Holmes'
Holmes and Watson are reinvented as action-movie stars in this infectiously entertaining, rollicking good yarn.
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'Leap Year'
Leap Day occurs once every four years. Awful romantic comedies like Leap Year, unfortunately, are far more common.
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Youth in Revolt
IYouth in RevoltI is a movie full of Michael Ceras. Cera stars in the film playing a dual role both as virgin nerd Nick Twisp and Nicks newly created, bad boy alternate personality Francois Dillinger. But the Cera doesnt stop there. The films other cha... |
Daybreakers
Daybreakers RATING: (ALERT VIEWER)Action horror. Starring Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Michael Dorman and Sam Neill. Directed by Peter and Michael Spierig. (R. 98 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.) The average human body holds approximately 1.5 gallons of bloo... |
Bitch Slap flagellates itself
Bitch Slap JAction. Directed by Rick Jacobson. Starring Julia Voth and Erin Cummings. (R. 105 minutes. At the Lumiere.) "Bitch Slap" is garbage. It's self-aware garbage - garbage that explores and celebrates, in postmodern fashion, precisely what it means... |
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond RATING: (POLITE APPLAUSE) Drama. Starring Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Evans. Directed by Jodie Markell. (PG-13. 102 minutes. At Bay Area theaters.) Bryce Dallas Howard is not comfortable as a Southern flapper in "The Loss ... |
James Franco has his Hours
James Franco will star as mountaineer Aron Ralston for director Danny Boyle in Fox Searchlight's "127 Hours." |
Youth in Revolt
Finally, hipster intellectuals have a Porky's of their own.
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